Australian Turf Club officials banned for betting on races

Australian Turf Club betting service manager Murray Conallin and racing clerk Shaun Lyall were disqualified from racing for 18 months and two years respectively on Monday after being found to have had hundreds of bets on races where they were deciding the result.

Conallin and Lyall's betting activity was found in a sweep of jockeys, apprentice and integrity-based racing officials at all betting organisations operating on NSW racing. They had been stood down from their duties last week and faced Racing NSW stewards on Monday.

Two Australian Turf Club officials have been disqualified from racing over betting. Photo: Patrick Scala

Racing NSW chief steward Ray Murrihy said the betting by the pair, who had regularly been the judge or assistant judge at ATC meetings, had been going on for at least 20 months and was a "black eye" for the industry.

"There has to be a deterrent to such activity and they knew what they were doing was against the rules," Murrihy said. "This incident is a black eye for the ATC, a black eye for racing officials and a black eye for the confidence of punters that need to be able to think that the judging of races is done by independent people free of pecuniary interests on the result."

Lyall had been found to have 291 bets, including laying a horse on a betting exchange, while Conallin was not as big a punter he still had or shared in 71 bets. There is no minimum sentence for the offence by offence, whereas they would have faced a mandatory two-year disqualification after the Damien Oliver betting scandal in 2012.

Stewards have been back and checked "a couple of dozen" finishes decided by a half head or less where Lyall or Conallin were in judging roles and had had bets on the races. All photos had been correctly adjudicated. "If they had not been they would have been looking at charges under the cheating in gambling laws," Murrihy said.

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Lyall was stood down from his duties on November 11 after his betting activity was discovered, while Conallin contacted Murrihy two days later admitting he had also been betting. ATC racing manager Colin Tuck attended the inquiry, which went for a couple of hours, as an observer on behalf of the club.

The ATC didn't make a comment about the disqualifications, which will almost certainly see the the pair lose their jobs as they are not allowed to enter a racecourse. Club officials were concerned for Lyall and Conallin and will discuss their futures on Tuesday.

Both pleaded guilty to charges under Australian Rule of racing 175A which deals with conduct prejudicial to the interests or image of racing and AR39 that they had "acted as an ATC Official at race meetings when they held pecuniary interests in races by virtue of bets placed on such events."

Lyall was found to have 291 bets in the past year, including laying horses on a betting exchange, jockey challenges and exotics, while working in a variety of roles that included judge, assistant to the judge and as an assistant to the clerk of scales.

In assessing penalty, stewards took into consideration he had worked in the position for eight years, his admission of guilt and remorse. He also indicated that he would undertake counselling.

He was given a two-year disqualification for the breach of AR39 and another year for a breach of 175A wll be served concurrently. He will be able to walk back on a racecourse on November 17, 2016.

Conallin was found to have had or shared in 71 bets across a 20-month period when acting as the judge or judge's assistant.

The betting was smaller than Lyall, which was taken into account in his sentence as well as his eight years experience as an official, admission to stewards and remorse.

He was disqualified from racing for 18 months for the breach of AR39, which will be served concurrently with a 12-month disqualification for the breach of AR175A. Conallin will be allowed back on a racecourse on May 17, 2016.